Tag Archives: Toronto Restaurants

May 13, 2010 · 5:25 PM

Afternoon Champy

Located on Charles at Yonge, between Yorkville and The Village, 7 West Cafe is our place for everything.  Open 24 a day, 7 days a week, it covers everything from brunch to dinner, to 3pm cappuccinos to cocktails.  It also the place for a 3am post-party-pizza-binge which is how I was introduced to the cafe.  Covering three floors, you can find the atmosphere that suits you or your mood best.  After fashion shows and work events, Julie and I head straight to the back patio, I brunched with my mother and my Aunt (who loved the place) on the first floor and this day in particular it was the third floor for a boozy lunch.

A Kir Royal is the best way to start any lunch.  Champagne and cassis are the only two ingredients but together it is heaven.  These are $9 each. (Yes there was a third person at the table .)

7 West specializes in pastas, pizzas and sandwiches with most being under $10.  This is the Pasta Pollo and below is the Biana Pizza.  Was delish and enough for two lunches!  Next time we may split something.

I decided to give the camera extra attitude over lunch day.  This weekend I am going back to Burlington to get my hair ‘did.  Saying goodbye to my dark blonde locks.  Although I have been toying with shades of blonde over the last 10 years, I always look forward till the next time I sit in Jaime Violo’s chair.  He is ‘ze best so no well wishes needed!  CM

2 Comments

Filed under Places To Go

Tagged as , , ,

May 5, 2010 · 8:05 AM

Dirty Bingo

Last Monday night was the BEST Monday night that I have EVER spent in the city.  After living in the village for 2.5 years, I did something that I have been talking about doing since I’ve moved here – play Dirty Bingo at Zelda’s.  Now located on Yonge Street, Toronto’s favorite rainbow filled restaurant/bar hosts an evening of Dirty Bingo with all proceeds going towards AIDS House.  Myself and four friends ventured out to participate in the old game hosted by two witty queens; Lena Over and a brunette, bearded Lady Gaga.  I just have to say that by the end of the night we were more intoxicated then we should have been on a Monday and some people (male and female) ended up naked on stage.

BEST. MONDAY. EVER.

How it works is that there are 4 rounds (varies) with 2 games per round.  You can change how many cards you play with each round.  We started the first round with 5 BINGO cards at a dollar a piece.  Inevitably, we were dubbed the “straight, crazy old BINGO ladies” and were heckled for it all night.    The “straight, crazy old BINGO ladies” swept the first round.  Jokes on you suckas! (No pun intended.)  There were many prizes, all of which were completely inappropriate and 100% dirty.   Pitchers of Mill Street Organic were a drink special at $14 which made playing more games of Bingo possible.

Zelda’s decor.  They don’t look to far off from the Holt’s mannequins.  Just a little more fierce.

SJP (yes, those are her initials) took breaks by the patio.

Lena Over, one of the fabulous hosts of the evening.

The brunette, bearded Lady Gaga.

Our fabulous waiter Chris.  If you are thinking of going (which I highly recommend you do) make reservation otherwise you might be seated in the back and miss out on the action.  I thought I would leave you with the song that started every round that night.  Happy BINGO’ing!  CM

4 Comments

Filed under Places To Go

Tagged as ,

April 30, 2010 · 8:15 AM

Golden Turtle

It was such a beautiful day in Toronto so I took a walk through Trinity Bellwoods Park and made my way over to Golden Turtle Restaurant on Ossington. First can I tell you that I just LOVE Trinity Bellwoods Park. I’ve lived a stones throw from it for the past 5 years so I’m partial to think it’s the best park in the city. It’s great for people watching, throwing a frisbee, playing tennis, or just hanging out with your dog. I don’t have a dog, but if I did I would take him there everyday. Trinity Bellwoods definitely has some stylish, weird, and interesting people who hang around. I saw this rough and tough guy – shaved head, tattoos, mustache, riding a bike with a tiny delicate dog sitting in a pouch hanging from the handle bars wearing sunglasses!! yes, the DOG was wearing little doggy sunglasses. What a bizarre sighting. I wasn’t quick enough with my camera but I’m going to be on the look out for this guy because you won’t believe me until you see it.

 

Here I am comfy cozy in my Vince riding pants, Century 21 jazz shoes ($30), chambray shirt from Zara ($45), nautical knit from Joe Fresh ($12), belt from a clothing swap ($0), and my friendship purse from I Miss You Vintage ($8). My Vince pants are not budget but they were a gift!

Golden Turtle is known for having the most delicious Pho in the city. This place is one of those no frills divey places that has amazing food for next to nothing. This big bowl of pho was about $5…I think I’ll be back in a few days, I find Vietnamese food so addictive. What’s your favourite divey restaurant in the city? Do share! JD

4 Comments

Filed under Places To Go, Style

Tagged as , , ,

April 28, 2010 · 8:30 AM

City Escape

It was a dreary and cold Sunday when we ventured East to meet Carly-Anne in the Beaches.  We knew we needed something hearty to warm up our insides and I jumped at the chance to introduce Julie to The Ceili Cottage in Leslieville at Queen and Laing street.  It was only my second time visiting the cottage but I am 100% in love.  Authenticity is it’s best-selling feature with great food to boot – you have to try it for yourself.

Expect to wait at the bar  for a table on weekends.

The dining room is more cottage like with low ceilings.

Julie ordered the mac and cheese and I had the white bean puree soup with braised rabbit and a side of thyme kettle chips.  All were fantastic and we were especially surprised with the chips.  They offer a different roast dish every day of the week.  My first taste of their menu was the cottage sheppards pie and I was disappointed that it wasn’t Saturday for me to try it again.

Wide selection of beers are on tap.  I had McAuslen’s oatmeal stout and Julie had the cider.

$30 later…enough said!   The smell of the camp fire burning on their front patio crept inside to make it extra cozy and we carried it with us when we left.

Fun fact:  The owner flooded the patio last winter creating a skating rink for the neighborhood.  I think I have to move to Leslieville now…CM

6 Comments

Filed under Places To Go

Tagged as , ,

April 19, 2010 · 8:00 AM

Hippity Hop

Dining room at Boehmer


The lounge at Boehmer

We did a little bar hopping recently on Ossington and Queen and discovered some great new places. We started at Our House which was a chic little place with nice decor and fun dance music. It was dead at 9:30 pm so we had a drink and moved on to Boehmer at 93 Ossington. This new to-die-for restaurant has an aura of coolness. It’s a rather wide space for this street and has a good buzzing vibe about it. We sat at the bar, drank gin cocktails, and sampled the tasty fries. They have a mix of communal and stand-alone tables for dinning and a little lounge for drinking. We found the lounge a little too well-lit and a bit lonerish because it’s tucked off to the side – I called it the loner lounge. Next time we’ll stick to the bar.

The Ossington

Our next few stops were The Ossington, Watusi, The Great Hall, and finally Saigon Flower for late night Chinese. You know I’m against late night eating, but I fell into the trap again! Gets me every time. It was delicious and was a great spot to cap off the night.  We love this city :) JD

Leave a Comment

Filed under Places To Go

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

April 17, 2010 · 9:50 AM

Like The Flower Needs The Rain

Had lunch at Carole’s Cheesecake in Yorkville yesterday. My sandwich was average, the service was as slow as a turtle, but the staff were so sweet and offered us a complimentary slice of cheesecake – it was divine! My favourite part of the experience was the oldies radio station playing in the background. I am a sucker for old songs and this one in particular made my day…enjoy! JD

2 Comments

Filed under Random, Things I Love

Tagged as , , ,

April 14, 2010 · 8:00 AM

Julie’s Cuban

A while back I stumbled upon a cute little place with a sign that read “Julie’s Snack Bar.” I was intrigued because it was part of an old house and tucked away on a residential side street. I knew at first sight, this was a Toronto gem.  I later found out this restaurant is actually called Julie’s Cuban and is known for amazing mojitos and one of Toronto’s best patios.


It took me forever to check this place out but I finally went last week and absolutely LOVED it. It’s a tiny room, filled with cluttered eccentric decor, friendly staff, interesting food, and great latin music.

The mojitos were delicious! Smooth, not too sweet, not too strong, and just the right amount of fresh mint – the way a mojito should be.


The menu is tapas style so we started with scrumptious guacamole dip and frituras de mais (peppery corn fritters and sour cream).

Plantains were a recurring theme on the menu so I thought I should try them out. Plantains are from the banana family, just not as sweet, and kind of have the texture of a potato. These were topped with beef in a tomato sauce, with red and green peppers. It looks a bit weird, like a meaty banana split, but it was good and very filling.

If you’re the type that digs one-off hidden gems, then I would definitely recommend Julie’s Cuban. Now I just need to go back to check out that patio – I hope the weather cooperates this summer (fingers crossed!). JD

3 Comments

Filed under Places To Go

Tagged as , ,

April 11, 2010 · 2:12 PM

Winnebago Stylin Part 1 – The Venue

Friday night was filled with random good times at Oddfellows on Queen West. It was a double birthday party for my friend Julia and I, and since we were born in the 80s we made it an 80s theme complete with outfits, music, and even a party in the Winnebago behind the restaurant!

There’s a Winnebago behind Oddfellows and you can rent it out for private parties – so that’s what we did! It has seating, tables, an iPod docking station, surround sound speakers, and even a real working fireplace.

Before the party got started, we had dinner in the restaurant. The menu is different and delicious – everything looked and smelled wonderful. Christine and I ordered brownies and strawberry ice cream because it was getting too late in the night for a venison burger, but I think I’ll order that next time.

Oddfellows is one of the smallest restaurants I’ve been to – but has a lot of character. I liked this alphabet wall.

And this collection of lights above the bar.

View from the enclosed patio.

Another great fireplace and record player inside the enclosed patio. Stay tuned for Part 2 when we show you some of the fab outfits. JD

2 Comments

Filed under Places To Go

Tagged as , , , ,

March 19, 2010 · 8:29 AM

Mid-March Resolutions

After being inspired by some of my nail polish addicted friends, I have decided to adopt a new resolution late in the year to have my nails painted at all times.  When I see women with their colourful fingertips I tend to hide my own because manicured (even self-done manicures) really is the finishing touch to any outfit.  This photo was take March 17th when myself and a couple girlfriends successfully avoided the crazed St.Patrick’s drinkers at Fire on the East Side.  I thought that I would be somewhat festive and order a Hoegaarden.  No, this beer was not green however, it is made with flowers and they are green…right?  My nail polish is Big Apple Red by O.P.I.   I think the most classic of all nail polish colours is the best way to kick-start this late 2010 resolution.  CM

I could not agree more with this resolution. I’m always so jealous when people have perfect nails. My problem is finding the time to let them dry - I always end up smudging them. On my recent trip to LA, bff and I got manicures compliments of the new Kirstie Alley show “My Big Life.” A salon on Main street in Venice was promoting the show and the colour was deep purple - darker than what I normal do, but I liked it. Btw, that bizarre picture is from the Dolce & Gabbana spring shoot. Tres weird, non? JD

8 Comments

Filed under Random, Style

Tagged as , , , , , ,